suzanne gibson 'making change in a volunteer run museum
DESCRIPTION
Keynote presentation Small Museum Conference 2012 ToowoombaTRANSCRIPT
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Making Change in a Volunteer Run Museum
Suzanne Gibson: Manager Cairns Historical Society Museum
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DISCLAIMER
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Outline
• Background to myself and the Cairns Historical Society Museum.
• Overview of the planning work we’ve been doing and where we are at.
• Snapshot of a few community engagement activities we’ve tried.
• Reflections .. lessons; the good the bad and the ugly of change … ;)
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Me
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Cairns Historical Society Museum
• Part of the Cairns Historical Society, the earliest Historical Society in NQ
• Society has four operations: research archive/library; imaging department; shop; and a museum.
• Society as a whole has an active volunteer base of 50, of which 20 are active in the museum
• Museum established in 1980, and extensively refurbished in 1983
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Why change?
• Falling visitation
• Invisibility in the community
• The building was extremely run down
• The museum didn’t seem to reflect Cairns
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The case for change
The museum didn’t really seem to reflect the Cairns that we could see,
smell and hear around us
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Strengths
• There is a great story to tell
• There was no other museum in town
• We have a huge international and national visitation to our city
• Great premises – potential!
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• Great resources in terms of the CHS collection
• An organisational culture of public service
• Willingness to think about changing
• POTENTIAL
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Making change
• A plan for renewing the museum
• Reach out to locals
• A better relationship with CRC
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Irritating and unjust as it seems:
we had to demonstrate the value of what we do and the potential of our organisation.
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Short story
• Successful in obtaining two years of funding from CRC to rethink the museum.
• New strategic plan, new collection policy, thematic survey of the collection, strategic collecting priorities.
• The process got us out talking to people outside our organisation.
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The surprises
• Most volunteers understood that the museum had stagnated
• Many also recognised that the museum needed to be modernised
• Most volunteers were enthused at the potential for change
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The Vision
A museum that reveals the past and connects with the present of
Cairns as a tropical city.
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Our Mission
The Cairns Museum collects, conserves, researches and
exhibits the history, heritage, people, places and changing
environment of Cairns.
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Our Values
• A sustainable museum and collection as an endowment for the future
• Fostering community connections and social inclusion
• Integrity in the presentation of stories and displays
• An advocate for the importance of our place, and its history and heritage
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Our Purpose
• Interpret the history of Cairns through stories about life in the tropics and people, places, objects and the environment
• Orient visitors and the community to the history, heritage, places and cultures shaping the development of Cairns
• Engage the community and visitors, sharing stories about life in the tropics
• Provide education opportunities to people of all ages
• Care for a significant collection for present and future generations
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Reasons to be cheerful …
• CRC has set aside $3.75 million to renovate the School of Arts building
• Included is dedicated space for the CHC and its collection, as well as dedicated space for the museum … ie we’re not being evicted
• Wheelchair accessible and new street entry
• Talking with CRC about an MOU that will provide some financial support to the CHS
• Funding to re-imagine our display and interpretation of Aboriginal cultures
• Funding for replanning the museum
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Reasons to tear out your hair …
• There is no money for a fit out (plan to win that one)
• They won’t put the museum on the ground floor (won’t win that one)
• Still don’t really see the potential of the museum as a CBD drawcard (can change that)
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Outreach
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History on the Move trailer
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Reflections: the internal community
• Change needs leadership.
• Just because people don’t want to lead a change process doesn’t mean they don’t want change.
• Ask your internal community what they would like to see in the museum. Insightful and positive.
• Keep talking – even when people don’t like what you are saying, keep saying it – tactfully.
• Know when you have said enough.
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Reflections: volunteers
• If you recruit volunteers from different cultural backgrounds, more will come
• Volunteers like project – something with a beginning, a middle and an end
• Keep talking • Take their advice
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Reflections: external stakeholders
• Tell people what you are doing• Especially tell local Councillors and key
Council officers• Building relationships takes time• Find good partners to work with
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Has the been change?
Yes there has been change - renewed enthusiasm, forward thinking, inclusiveness, defined direction for future of museum and
collection policy more business-like, changed community involvement, development of school
programs, deaccessioning progress, clean up.
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Yes, a more friendly feeling and a cooperation with everyone. It seems much more organized,
and more business like.
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appearance of the museum entrances, good quality exhibition WHICH WE DID OURSELVES
AND DIDN'T HAVE TO GET CONSULTANTS IN FOR (yay), better relationship with CRC and other
organisations partly because a museum professional is now fronting the organisation (and because of your pre-existing networks), important documents updated, significance statements for objects, better accessioning
process, shed situation more under control, new and creative types of outreach activities as well
as the trailer.
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I would have like to see more stuff being culled more quickly however I appreciate the delicacy of the matter. Having taken the de-accessioning more slowly seems to have worked wonders. It’s amazing that XX has even agreed to the printing
press being relocated (even if it isn’t to the dump)
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The Cairns in 1942 display has clean features full of interesting information and contrasts
markedly with the rest of the displays in the Museum. I can’t wait for them all to be
revamped.
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What could we have done better/differently with hindsight?
Still nervous about shed clean-up and what has been discarded/is being discarded given
accession for those objects was so minimal - are we throwing out stuff which we don't know the
significance of?
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Importance of respecting the past contributions of section leaders & various volunteers
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I would have liked to see something done about the shop. Our love for XX made it hard to make hard decisions. I don’t think we should feel bad
about caring about our members …
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Are we doing the right thing?